Blackstone and BlackRock chief executives would be some of the Wall Street big shots contributing their views on the post-pandemic global economic order at the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul next month.

The World Knowledge Forum is the biggest business conference in Asia hosted by South Korea’s leading business media Maekyung Media Group. This year’s theme is “Pandenomics Perspective: Shaping New Global Symbiosis,” with leaders from political, economic and academic circles around the world to discuss some of the most pressing global issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, now in its 21st year, is scheduled for Sept. 16-18 in central Seoul.

Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone, will expound on the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, U.S. economic policies and America’s escalating hegemonic rivalry with China.

Schwarzman co-founded Blackstone in 1985 and grew it into the world’s largest private equity firm with $564 billion assets under management, equivalent to one-third of Korea’s gross domestic product. Blackstone is not only a global leader in private equity but also the largest property owner in the world, with significant holdings in real estate.

Schwarzman is regarded as one of the few business leaders to have the ear of U.S. President Donald Trump. As a long-time friend of Trump, he has provided outside counsel and briefly served as chairman of Trump`s Strategic and Policy Forum.

Another Wall Street heavyweight to join the September conference is Laurence D. Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, who will assess the pandemic’s impact on the global economy as well as share his asset allocation strategy in the age of great uncertainty.

Fink and seven other partners founded BlackRock in 1988 under the umbrella of Schwarzman’s Blackstone, which put up the initial capital. BlackRock decided to go out on its own in 1995 following an internal dispute between Fink and Schwarzman over compensation and equity issues. Under Fink’s leadership, BlackRock has grown into the world’s largest asset manager with $7.32 trillion of assets under management as of end-June.

Fink started his Wall Street career at the investment bank First Boston, where he lost $100 million in bond investment, an experience often cited as a pivotal moment that motivated Fink to become a leading expert on risk management.

Robert W. Lovelace, vice chairman of Capital Group Companies, is expected to talk about industrial trends and investment opportunities post COVID-19. Lovelace has served more than 35 years at Capital Group, helping it become the world’s leading player in the active fund category. Capital Group had $1.99 trillion in assets under management as of end-June and holds stakes in several major Korean corporations.

Amundi CEO Yves Perrier, a towering figure in European financial markets, would be sharing his insights on post-Brexit investment opportunities. Amundi is Europe’s largest asset manager, with more than 1.53 billion euros ($1.79 billion) of assets under management. It was founded in 2010 as the result of a merger between the asset management subsidiaries of Crédit Agricole and Société Générale, two of France’s largest banking groups.

By Yoo Joon-ho and Kim Hyo-jin

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